1. In 1906, the First Territorial Legislature of Alaska was established on May 19th, which paved the way for Alaska's eventual statehood.

2. May 19, 1984 was the date of the 50th running of the Mount Marathon Race in Seward, Alaska, one of the oldest mountain races in the United States.

3. In 1978, a DC-6 airplane carrying six passengers and two crew members crashed near Anchorage on May 19th. Only one passenger survived the accident.

4. On May 19, 1942, the Japanese bombed Dutch Harbor, Alaska, during World War II, marking the first time in 128 years that foreign troops had attacked United States soil. This attack was part of a larger invasion of the Aleutian Islands that lasted until August 1943.

5. May 19, 2002, marks the date of the Great Alaska Earthquake's 38th anniversary. The 9.2 magnitude earthquake, which struck on March 27, 1964, was the strongest ever recorded in North America and caused significant damage throughout the region.